Plane for airships.



T. M FINLEY.

PLANE FOR AIRSHIPS,

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1911.

Patented May 7,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

T. M- FINLEY.

PLANE FOR AIRSHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1911.

Patented May 7,1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 THOMAS M. FINLEY, OF WESTIELAINS, MISSOURI.

PLANE FOB .AIBSHIPS.

incense.

Specification or Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1918.

Application and April m, 1917. Serial in. 160,979.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Rev. THOMAS M. FIN- LEY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Westplains, in the county of Howell and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Planesfor Airships; and Ido -hereby declare the tollowing to be a full, clear,and exact description-of the-invention, such as Wlll enable others.skilled in the art to which it- I appertains to make and use the same.

' The invention relates to improvements in planes for airships, and is adivision of an application executed of even date herewith. The object ofthe present invention is to improve the construction of airships andtoprovide side supporting planes adapted to novel combination ofparts-hereinafter fully described, illustrated-in the accompanyingdrawings and pointed out in the claims here-.

to appended; it being understood that various changes in the form,proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope oithe claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit-orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

- In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an aerocruiser provided with side planesconstructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

F ig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of one of the sideplanes.

Fig. 4 is a lan view of the same.-

Fig. 5 is a ongitudinal sectional view of the central member of the sidelanes.

Like numerals of reference esi nate corresponding parts in the severalhgures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawin s in which is illustrated the preferred emboiment of-the invention, the hollow body 1, which is constructed as shownand described in the aforesaid application, is equipped at oppositesides with side supporting planes 1? which are acted on by the airdivided by the upper portion of the body 1 and travelalong the sides ofthe upper portion of the same. In this manner the air displaced by thebody" and directed along the same to the side supporting planes assistsin sustaining the body instead of simply retarding ,or-

resisting the forward movement of the same through the air.

The side supporting planes 17 are composed of central horizontal members80 and inner and outer inclined side members 81 extending downwardly andoutwardly and downwardly and inwardly in diverging relation to provideside longitudinal troughs,

which are located at opposite sides. of the bpdy and positioned toreceive the, air divided by the upper tapered section 10 of the saidbody. The central members of the side planes are (provided with upwardlyextends ing incline terminal portion 82, adapted to deflect the airdivided by said section 10 of the body for causing the same to rushbeneath. the side planes and through the troughs formed by thehorizontal central members andthe inner and outer inclined members ofthe saidplanes. These lanes,

which are adapted to assist in supporting the body when the same istraveling through the air, also serve to maintain the bed in.

firm equilibrium asthey are located a ve the center ofg'ravity of thebody and serve to steady the same 'and prevent rolling, whipping orpitching; The side'planesare supported by vertical andinclined bars83and 84 and by suitable bracesor stays 86, but any other suitablesupporting frame work may of course be employed for this purpose.

The central and side planes are provided with pivoted transversely.disposed blades 87 and 88 operating in openings 89 and 90 in thecentral and side membersof the side planes and adapted to be opened andclosed. These central and side planes, which are designed to be arrangedin sets, are preferably curved inopposite directions at opposite sidesof the pivots or. intles and their front portions, which exten upwardlywhen they are arranged in the position shown in Fig. 5, are adapted tocatch the air and force the same downwardly beneath the side planes. Thepivots or pintles are provided with arms 91, which extend downwardly andto which are connected. suitable operating rods 92. member are designedto be approximately twice the area of the blades of the side members butthe relative size of the blades may The blades of the central,

till

of course be varied and the said blades may be operated to extend theirfront port-ions above or below the central side members and some of thesets may be extended below and others aboveto produce an upward passageof the air through some of the openings and a downward passage of theair through other of the openings so that the air at the sides of thebody will serve to lock the same in relatively rigid stability andthereby counteract any tendency of the body to roll or pitch. lVhen thepivoted blades of the central and side members of the side planes areclosed they close the openings or the said side planes. The inclinedside members will be braced and supported at intervals by anysuitablemeans.

The air, which is divided by the sharp top portion of the body and sentaround the sides of the same reaches the side planes with its densityincreased afiording the side planes increased power. The side planesarrest the air in its natural rush toward the thin air at the crest ortop of the body and force the air downwardly packing the same andcausing such air to pack downwardly to the lower edges of the sides ofthe body so that such air will replace the packed air beneath the bodyand produce a rush of air around the side edges of the body, and thisaction is intensified by the air rushing inward toward the fast movingbody when the same is in motion. The friction resisting the forwardmovement of the bodies of airships is thus largely eliminated and thepressure of the air is utilized in sustaining and facilitating thepropulsion of the machine. Also by the tendency of the side planes tocondense or pack the air beneath them they ride at all times on heavystreams of air. The blades when open, draw the air from above and notonly lighten the air at the crest-oi the body but they also serve toarrest the heavy streams or air that rush around the ends of the bodyand flow toward the space of the thin or light air at the top or themachine, forcing such streams backward and downward and causing the airin such packed condition to flow around the side edges of the body.These streams oi heavily packed or condensed air flowing in greatquantity around the lower edges of the airship ill hold the airshipfirmly in proper position and afiord the body increased steadiness inflight and render the airship stable and safe.

The inclined terminal portions 82, which consist of extensions of thecentral horizontal members of the side planes, are curved longitudinallyand extend upwardly and forwardly converging along the tapered topsections of the body 1 of the airship to the front edge 16 of the saidtapered top section 10. This will effectually prevent the air divided bthe tapered section 10 of the body from passing upwardly over the sideplanes. The length and arrangement of the terminal portions may bevaried but it is preferable to construct them as shown and extend themto the ends of the body. A pair of longitudinal troughs is illustratedin the drawings, but the number and arrangement of the troughs orlongitudinal planes may be varied.

What is claimed is:

1. An airship of the class described in cluding a body having a taperedend portion, and side troughs arranged exteriorly of the body atopposite sides thereof and havin terminal ortions conver in alon D b thetapered end portion of the body.

2. An airship of the class described including a body having a taperedend portion, and side troughs arranged exteriorly of the body atopposite sides thereof and having terminal portions inclined upwardlyfrom the troughs and converging along the tapered end portion of thebody.

3. r'ln airship of the class described including a body having taperedend portions, and side troughs located at opposite sides of the body andprovided with inclined terminal portions extending upwardly from thetroughs and converging to the ends of the body at the tapered portionsthereof.

l. An airship of the class described including a body having a taperedend portion, and horizontally disposed longitudinal side troughs locatedat opposite sides of the body and composed of horizontal top portionsand inner and outer inclined side portions, said troughs being providedwith in clined terminal portions forming extensions of the saidhorizontal top portions of the troughs and extending upwardly therefromand converging along the tapered portion of the body.

5. An airship of the class described including a body, and longitudinalside troughs located at opposite sides of the body and having inclinedterminal portions extendingupwardly along the body arranged to directthe air divided by the body to the said troughs.

6. An airship of the class described including a body, and longitudinalside troughs located at opposite sides of the body and having inclinedterminal portions extending upwardly longitudinally of the body to theend or the same at the top thereof for directing the air divided by thebody to the side troughs.

7. An airship of the class described including a body provided with alongitudinal plane forming a trough having top and side walls andlocated above the bottom of the a rship, said longitudinal plane beingprovided with openings, and blades movably mounted in the openings andadjustable to direct the air through the same.

8. An airship of the class described including a body provided with alongitudinal plane forming a trough having top and side walls andlocated above the bottom of the airship, said longitudinal plane beingprovided with openings, and pivoted blades mounted in the openings andadjustable to direct the air upwardly or downwardly through the saidopenings.

9. An airship of the class described including a body provided with alongitudinal plane forming a trough having top and side walls andlocated above the bottom of the airship, said longitudinal plane beingprovided with openings, and pivoted blades mounted in the openings andadjustable to direct the air upwardly or downwardly through the saidopenings and being of a size to close the openings and form parts of thesaid plane. Y

10. An airship of the class described including a body provided with alongitudinal plane forming aitrough having top and side walls andlocated above the bottom of the airship, said longitudinal plane beingprovided with openings, and blades pivotally mounted in the openings andhaving front and rear portions reversely curved, said blades beingadjustable to direct the air upwardly and downwardly through the saidopenings.

11. An airship of the class described including a longitudinal planecomposed of a horizontal top member and inclined side members divergingdownwardly, said'members being provided with openings, and blades'pivotally mounted in the openings and adjustable to direct the air throthe same and also to close the openings.

12. An airship of the class described including a body, side planeslocated at opposite sides of and extending longitudinally of the bodyand composed of oppositely inclined side members and a top connectingmember, said members being provided with' openings, pivoted bladesmounted in the openings and adjustable to direct the air through thesame and adapted also to close the openings, and means for operating theblades.

13. An airship of the class described including a body having sideplanesextending longitudinally of the body and composed of oppositelyinclined side members and a top connecting member, said members formingtroughs and the top connecting member being' provided at the front andrear ends of the body with inclined extensions extending to the ends ofthe body.

14. An airship of the class described including a body having sideplanes extending longitudinally of the body and composed of oppositelyinclined side members and a top connecting member, said membersformin'g' THOMAS M. FIN LEY.

Witnesses:

M. D. LEWIS, BENNETT S. Jones.

